Life can be messy, extraordinary, joyful, comfortable, boring… well, absolutely anything we want it to be. I’ve been reminded recently how painful life could be. And when I’ve watched the video of Oprah and J.K Rowling as stated in my previous post, I’ve decided to share a bit of what I’ve learned when I did hit rock bottom.
I don’t think the circumstances are important. End 2007, the trigger for me was a beautiful intimate relationship ending mixed with the challenges of having moved to a new country without much resources. For others, death of friends/ family members or diseases create this awakening too, as potentially any crisis could do. Here are the things I learned:
– Breaking down, totally breaking down, releases the grip of fears and ego. I realized I didn’t have anything to lose anymore. Who cares of being intimidated in karaoke or being judged or left alone…when we are already feeling left alone! I realized during my recovery period that actually I was able to do much more meaningful actions than before, and the fear of not being good enough (in English for public speaking, in coaching men and women who wanted to change their lives, or as a writer at that time) vanished almost completely. I was finally free, how paradoxical and relieving it was! Most interestingly here, I was free and willing to live a life that was meaning-full, every single day.
– the most important for those who seek success is to Be this Success. This lesson hasn’t been learned in one session, it took many years to unfold. Being this successful man, defining what it means for me, has been indeed a journey. I realized that this kind of success doesn’t depend on circumstances, and instead depends on how I flow in my life, how I set my goals, and how I could see perfection even when there is no external victory. What a relief! And what a difference compared to the Benoit that was looking for victories in tennis, with money, with women, again and again, and finally tired of this way of doing.
– last but not the least, life is very precious. Hitting rock bottom has given me lots of compassion for those of us who are depressed or in any kind of body or emotional pain. Every day, every moment, is precious and is an opportunity to dare revealing again and again, to ourselves and to the world, who we are and what life can be when we live our truth.
Namaste.
Questions and Comments welcome.